Further strike action on South Western Railway

Elmbridge commuters have had to deal with unacceptable service from South Western Railway for far too long. There are chronic issues with punctuality, reliability and overcrowding. Combined with the strike action in December, this has had a significant impact on the quality of life of local passengers.

I was very disappointed to hear that the RMT union has now voted for further industrial action, though there are no confirmed dates yet. Driver controlled trains are perfectly safe, and have been operating elsewhere on the network for many years. This strike action is unnecessary and unacceptable.

This new industrial action comes soon after the news that South Western Railways is in discussions with the Department for Transport about the future of the franchise. The Government’s view is that the franchise is not financially sustainable in the long term, and it is undertaking the necessary contingency planning.

There is also an ongoing root and branch review into the railway system and the franchise model. I believe that railway passengers in Elmbridge need to be able to hold the train operator to account for poor services, and that this needs to be written in to the contract for any rail operator running our lines.

I am writing to the Transport Secretary about this, and will be meeting South Western Railway’s Managing Director to discuss the continued poor service. Elmbridge commuters deserve far better.